There has long been a recognized need for means by which individuals can arm themselves against personal attack, using less than deadly repulsive force. To satisfy that need, there have previously been proposed hand-held devices containing a noxious liquid or powder, which can be discharged toward the assailant to foil his attempt. As indicated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,885,126 to Medlock; 1,994,294 and 1,994,295 to Williams, Jr.; 2,001,405 to Abbott; 3,084,466 to Duncan III; 3,820,607 to Miley; and 4,062,473 to Fegley, such devices have typically utilized shells or cartridges loaded with the noxious substance and having an associated explosive cap or charge, which can be detonated by a firing pin of the device to expel the material. Not only does this, of course, presuppose the availability of suitably loaded shells, but moreover, the use of an explosive propellant entails an obvious element of danger to the individuals utilizing them, and they require rather heavy construction to minimize such risk; at the very least, care must be exercised to load the shell with just the right amount of the explosive to ensure effective, and yet safe, operation.
Alternative propellant sources are also known, including canisters and cylinders of gas under pressure (i.e., the so-called "CO.sub.2 cartridges"). The latter are commonly used to power BB guns and the like, as well for a variety of other applications, including the inflation of life jackets, as shown in Mackal U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,223,805, 4,260,075 and 4,267,944. Canisters of gas under pressure have also been employed for a variety of purposes, such as to inflate tires and to unclog drains, the latter being described in Nakane U. S. Pat. No. 3,879,771. The prior art devices utilizing all of such gas sources for propellant purposes seem invariably to rely upon a controlled, incremental release of the pressurized gas for ultimate discharge. As far as is known, such means has not heretofore been utilized in connection with a self-defense spray device.
In an endeavor to satisfy the foregoing need, tear gas bomb products are offered commercially under the trade designation "MACE". Since, however, a liquid propellant is employed therein, the active ingredient must be diluted to about a one percent concentration, rendering such products of only limited value as a means for quickly and completely disabling the would-be attacker.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel self-defense device or spray gun that is of very small size and self-contained, and is highly effective, safe, relatively free from legal constraints, reliable and convenient to employ.
It is also an object of the invention to provide such a device which is of very uncomplicated construction, consisting of relatively few parts of simple design, which can therefore be manufactured readily and quite inexpensively.
Another object of the invention is to provide a self-defense device of the foregoing nature which utilizes no shells or cartridges, and which therefore is loaded with the active substance with great facility and at minimum cost.
Yet another and more specific object of the invention, is to provide a novel device having the foregoing features and advantages, which is especially well-suited for the spraying of a noxious powder, and is therefore capable of instantaneously subjecting the attacker to a large and very effective dose of the active agent.